60 Second Interview: Tim Henman

Tim Henman has been Britain’s best-known tennis player for the past ten years â his career characterised by the devotion of his fans and by his habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Despite nearing his tennis retirement age, at 31, Tim’s fans still believe that he can win Wimbledon. Tim is endorsing the Ariel Mini Tennis For Schools Programme.

Tennis seems to be a middle-class sport. Is this campaign going to make any difference?

It does have that image but accessibility is also a problem, which is where this campaign comes in. Itâs important to promote tennis in inner city schools so kids in those areas have access to the sport. The standard of British tennis hasnât been good enough over the years and we want to improve it.

Why would children want to take up the sport when youâre the only British player theyâve heard of?

We need more players coming through to compete at the higher levels so they can become role models and bring more exposure to the game. In turn, more kids will see it, think itâs cool and want to do it themselves. Tennis has always been my hobby and I love to play but itâs also not a bad way to earn your living and it might help if children knew that. The more children who get playing, the better. The other sports are our competitors. Unless we get children playing tennis, weâll lose the talented ones with good athletic ability and hand-eye coordination to football and other sports.

Youâre the most famous British player. Does that bring a lot of extra pressure?

Not really. The attention you get goes with the territory when you play in the big tournaments around the world. Thereâs a lot of media attention, which is a responsibility because itâll hopefully encourage children to play the game but itâs really out of your control. Being a professional player, you just want to control what happens on court and let the other stuff take care of itself.

Where has your reputation for being boring come from?

The media in this country blow things out of proportion. When I started playing professionally, I was trying to deflect the press attention and keep things in perspective. That was my way of dealing with it. When people asked me a question, I ended up giving the right answer rather than the honest one as my way of keeping things as calm as possible.

Do you regret not being more honest?

Yes, in hindsight I do. When youâre 21 and have to face a situation like that, you learn as you go along. Looking back, I would have done things differently.

Like what?

Iâd have been more honest â not that I was lying, I wasnât â but I could have been more open. Iâve never been interested in all the attention that goes with the game off-court, though. Itâs just not in my personality to pursue fame.

Where did all that âTiger Timâ stuff come from?

I donât know, you tell me. No idea.

Is it embarrassing?

Yes but what can I do about it? Not a lot. Itâs media driven and sells newspapers but itâs out of your control. Itâs a bit of fun but, when you get criticism, you need to be able to ignore it and laugh it off.

Maybe a snazzier nickname would help. What new nickname would you pick?

Is it helpful when people yell âCome on, Timâ at you?

Ha, ha. There are times when theyâre all screaming âCome onâ at me and I want to turn round and say: âDo you think I missed that shot on purpose?â In matches, you donât hear individual comments â 15,000 people going nuts for you is amazing. You hear individuals more when youâre warming up. I was in Australia earlier this year and some girl shouted: âDo it for Chiswick.â I was thinking: âWhy the hell are you shouting that?â

Is Andrew Murray the new Tim Henman?

No, he wants to be the first Andy Murray. Heâs a fantastic player. Heâs a good example of why I was careful about making comments in interviews. He had a bad match in Australia and jokingly said he was playing like a woman. It was taken out of context by the press and became a big distraction for him when he was going into a grand slam.

Are you considering retiring?

Definitely not. Iâve had very few injuries over the years and Iâve been in really good shape, so the injuries Iâve had this year have been very frustrating â I canât play matches how Iâd like to. Thatâs a new challenge, though. I need to get back to being fit and competing at the highest levels again.

Will you be gutted if you retire without winning Wimbledon?

Iâd be disappointed but then perhaps youâd need to conclude I wasnât good enough. Some people go on like Iâve got a God-given right to win Wimbledon. Iâve been the fourth best player on the planet and won an Olympic silver medal and Iâve done all right from the game financially. I donât have too many complaints, even if other people do.

Do people always expect British players to win Wimbledon?

Itâs a benchmark. When I started out, people would have been ecstatic if I made it into the Top 100. But then they think âheâs got to be in the Top 50â then itâs the Top 20, Top 10 and I got up to number four. Maybe thatâs as good as I was meant to be â but if there are only three people on the planet who are better than you, then I donât think thatâs doing too badly.